Duck down almost any side street in downtown Charleston and you’ll find some hidden gem of an eatery, shop or art gallery. One of them is Kudu Coffee Shop. Don’t let their name fool you, though. It’s much more than delicious coffee. They have a decent selection of craft beers and tasty pastries and sandwiches.

I have heard raves about their coffee for years (some say it’s the best locally) even after a recent change of ownership. I never stopped by until this past Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised!

A local three piece band was playing (The V Tones, as the Lee Brothers referred to them in their Travel + Leisure article- Charleston post modern ragtime band) was playing in the nice courtyard area while little birds were bathing themselves in the fountain.

The crowd was an eclectic mix of the adult professional and granola set, parents with young children, college students studying, friends meeting for drinks, and even some local sci-fi/ fantasy fans playing a collectible card game. The exterior space is pet friendly and there was an adorable puppy holding court.

Even though the place was busy and the band was playing, I was able to do some writing and enjoy an iced latte in the sunshine. It was a perfect two hour afternoon and the staff was very friendly.

Now for the pronounciation lesson and how to find Kudu. It’s at 4 Vanderhorst Street . And how would you say “Vanderhorst?” I have lived here for many years now and I have heard three things all from born and bred Charlestonians. “Vandross,” “Vandraws,” and the phonetic “Vanderhorst.” Which is right? I don’t know. But I am going to go with the phonetic pronunciation.

My hunt for the proper way to say Vanderhorst led me to this little gem about local South Carolina pronunciations . One of the more fun things about moving/visiting new places is when the words get tricky or are of the more international variety, you get to hear how the region has co-opted the names/words. But every once in awhile you can get lost. Looking for “Hugee” Street and only seeing Huger street for example. All part of the fun of being someplace new.